Garcia on Trou Macaque killings: Children are gifts from God

Minister of Education Anthony Garcia today lamented the killing of schoolboys Shekeem Francois, 15, and Kadeem Phillip, 16, and said while he was not certain of the details surrounding the teenagers' deaths, it was an unfortunate situation and said it prompted greater thought on the boys' circumstances.

Newsday spoke to Garcia this afternoon, who said that he only knew what was told to him by his permanent secretary and over the radio, but said children ought to be valued and said it was unfortunate that they were killed.

"I don't know about the circumstances that led to the killing of these children and until I receive information I will not be able to give a definitive view on what happened but we must remember that children are gifts from God and whenever a child dies it is always an occasion for us to reflect on what has caused the demise of these young people."

Francois attended the Morvant Laventille Secondary School and Phillip attended the Servol Laventille life centre where he took courses in welding.

Today teachers from the Morvant Laventille Secondary visited Francois' Trou Macaque, Laventille, home and spoke to relatives to extend support and condolences.